Eilon Reshef, cofounder and CPO of Gong, is a seasoned entrepreneur, executive and investor in the internet and software spaces.
The market for enterprise AI software has become, by any measure, overwhelming. New products arrive weekly, existing ones mutate with each model upgrade and the falling cost of building software means that every startup with a large-language model and a pitch deck now claims to be reinventing the category.
For leaders acquiring these solutions, the result is a paradox of choice so acute that many have simply frozen in place.
As a product leader, I am often asked how to evaluate these innovations to determine which ones are actually poised to deliver on their promises. A useful evaluation framework, therefore, needs to go beyond feature checklists or model sophistication and instead should assess how an AI product converts raw data and intelligence into tangible business results.
One approach is to borrow the frameworks that product executives themselves use to build and position their offerings. Business leaders who learn to see the market through a solution provider’s eyes tend to ask sharper questions, filter out noise faster and avoid the costly regret of a misguided purchase.
